May 2018 - 37

The Bidding Box
MODERATOR: BRUCE ROGOFF
brogoff@gargoylegroup.com

See the West and East hands that appear on pages 49 and 51 respectively, and try bidding them with a regular partner. Compare how you performed with the expert pairs whose
auctions you can read about in this month's column. The North-South players are silent
unless otherwise noted. The competitors were not informed of any interference by the
opponents before the bidding commenced. The form of scoring is matchpoints with a 12 top.
The Bridge Bulletin auctions are meant to portray possible bidding sequences to one of
the top-scoring contracts using common methods.
Ljudmila Kamenova and Pam Wittes
have endured some pretty tough luck
during their four-year partnership.
Along with regular teammates Cheri
Bjerkan and Rozanne Pollack, they lost
the final of the 2015 Wagar Women's
KO by a single IMP, and finished 0.2
points behind the winners in the 2016
Marsh May Sternberg Women's BAM
Teams. The squad came back to win
the 2017 Women's BAM in San Diego
by more than a board. This was Kamenova's first NABC title, to go along
with her 2004 Collegiate Championship as a member of the MIT Engineers. For Wittes, this was her eighth
national title, and she also has a gold
medal from the 1986 World Mixed
Pairs. Kamenova-Wittes play a standard 2/1 style with a few gadgets. They
describe their openings as a bit lighter
than average.
Linda and Paul Lewis have been
married for 32 years, and full-time
bridge partners for even longer than
that. (And yes, they're still talking to
each other!) Together, they've won
three NABC titles, as well as a bronze
medal in the 2014 World Senior Teams.
Linda has four NABC wins in women's
events as well, while Paul won the 1980
Silidor Pairs title. As Paul put it, "We
each have way too many second-place
finishes." Linda and Paul play a standard 2/1 system where a 1♣ opening
may be short. Their 1NT opening is
12-14 except in third chair (15-17).

Problem 1

North deals. None vulnerable.
North deals and passes, and then bids
1♠ if possible.
West
♠A75
♥AJ98763
♦K6
♣ 10

East
♠643
♥K4
♦AQ754
♣A85

Kamenova North Wittes South
(Pass) 1♦
(Pass)
1♥
(1♠)
Pass
(Pass)
4♥
All Pass
Linda North
(Pass)
4♦
(Pass)

Paul
1NT
4♥

South
(Pass)
All Pass

Wittes had nothing to say after the
overcall, though her pass told partner
that she held fewer than three hearts.
Kamenova knew she needed perfect
cards opposite to play slam, but with
East holding at most two trumps, she
decided to take the practical route to
game.
Linda also chose the fast route to
the heart game via a Texas transfer
after Paul's 12-14 notrump. They later
mentioned the possible alternative of a
2♦ transfer followed by a 4♣ "selfsplinter," but Paul considered that
quite optimistic.
Bridge Bulletin auction: (Pass)-1♦-
(Pass)-1♥; (1♠)-Pass-(Pass)-2♠;
(Pass)-3♦-(Pass)-3♥; (Pass)-4♥-?

If West is aggressive, the auction might
continue: 4♠-5♣; 5♦-6♥. Thanks to
reader Michael Goldberg who submitted this hand from an online IMP pairs
game. He said nobody reached slam,
and only a few investigated.
Scores: 6♥ 11; 6NT 7; 5♥ 5;
3NT, 7♥ 2; 5NT, 7NT 1
Kamenova-Wittes 5, Lewises 5

Problem 2

East deals. N-S vulnerable.
West
♠ A 10 2
♥K9532
♦J7
♣K64

East
♠854
♥J86
♦AQ65
♣AJ9

Kamenova

Wittes
1♦
1NT
2♦
Pass

1♥
2♣
2♥
Linda
2♦
2♠
Pass

Paul
1NT
2♥
3♥

Wittes was true to her word about
opening bids, opening the mediocre,
flat 12-count. Kamenova's 2♣ was a
relay to 2♦, either to sign off there
or show a wide variety of invitational
hands (commonly called two-way
checkback Stayman). Her subsequent
May 2018 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2018